MEHTAR LAM, Afghanistan — They found him, 16-years old, a few meters
from the town prison. He had been tied up with his own shawl, beaten,
repeatedly shot and his body dumped beside a main road on the outskirts
of Mehtar Lam, eastern Afghanistan.

At prayer time the evening before, one resident saw a group of men in
uniform hiding among trees nearby. Others heard gunfire later that
night. But only when they discovered the corpse in the morning, so badly
disfigured the face was flattened to a pulp, did they understand a boy
had been murdered.

"We don't know who killed him, the Taliban or the government," said
Mullah Jan, a village leader. "We talked in the mosque and we decided if
the Taliban did this they are no longer acceptable for us. And if the
government did this, it is also not acceptable for us."

NATO states now meeting in Chicago are reaffirming the departure of
foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, while
simultaneously pledging their commitment to the country's future
stability.

In the months prior to the summit, however, Mehtar Lam, the capital
of Laghman province, has been shaken by a number of assassinations that
appear to be tied to the looming withdrawal.

Many residents here have little faith in their own security forces,
and some worry they are experiencing a repeat of the kind of lawlessness
that was unleashed when the Soviets pulled out decades ago.

The murder in February of the teenager, named Malyar, left villagers
angry and confused. Earlier, the Taliban had delivered letters to local
mosques warning worshippers not to join pro-government militias that are
being established nationwide with American support. They needn't have
bothered because there was already strong opposition to the idea.

"We think it will bring back the bad situation we had in the past and bring anarchy," said Mullah Jan.

Laghman lies on a highway connecting two major cities — Kabul and
Jalalabad — and is relatively close to the Pakistan border. Insurgents
have long been active in some rural areas here, but they could now be
gaining new ground.

Other recent assassinations in the provincial capital include the
killing of a civilian near the governor's office when four men on a pair
of motorbikes surrounded his car front and back. The son of a prominent
tribal elder was also gunned down in a suburb while retuning home from a
game of volleyball.

The fact they have occurred since security in Mehtar Lam was handed
over to Afghan forces last summer has reminded people of the civil war
that eventually emerged after the Russians left in 1989.

The United States has agreed to a long-term strategic partnership with
Afghanistan in an attempt to show that history will not repeat itself,
but critics say the deal offers little concrete help and the reality is
that the endgame is well underway.

Zefnoon Safi, an MP for Laghman said, “A government exists, laws and a
constitution exist, but still people are hopeless, they are losing
their lives and they do not feel safe.”

Three years ago her brother, Hamidullah — a member of the
intelligence service — was shot dead. It is only lately, though, that
she has decided the danger is so great that there is no point visiting
her province “unless the issue is essential.”

Speaking in Kabul, Safi claimed to have seen security officials and
relatives of local politicians at the funeral of an insurgent in Mehtar
Lam.

“Now there is the kind of situation where you cannot know who is your friend and who is your enemy,” she said.

Most of the recent assassinations have occurred at sunset or after
dark, with the perpetrators striking quickly and then escaping. Whether
they are common criminals, rebels, families out to avenge personal
vendettas or even government-sponsored hit squads, no one quite knows
and it may not matter. The effect, it seems, is the same regardless of
who is responsible.

Haji Sheikh Mahsal is head of Mehtar Lam's community development
council, an elected organization designed to help address local issues
and solve basic disputes.

"The insurgents are not fighting out front,” he explained. “They are
planting mines and carrying out these attacks during the night.”

Mahsal was interviewed just a short distance from an American
military base, where the U.S. flag is clearly visible to passersby. Two
Afghans employed in menial jobs there were shot after work a couple of
days ago, he said. One died and the second was injured.

Despite this, Mahsal insisted the government would be able to keep
security when NATO leaves if its armed forces are adequately equipped
beforehand.

Publicly at least, the governor of Laghman, Mohammad Iqbal Azizi, has
also tried to remain upbeat. At his heavily guarded compound in March,
he talked in glowing terms about dreams being realized and the “smooth
and successful transition” process.

“People outside Afghanistan, specifically in the western part of the
world, are expecting Afghanistan to be transformed in 10 years like
Switzerland,” he said in English.

Then, when the interview was over, he advised us in Pashto that for
security reasons, a foreign journalist should not visit any villages and
should leave the entire province sooner rather than later.

More by Chris Sands

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